The Fragility Of Power

Download or read book The Fragility of Power written by Stefano Rebeggiani and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2018-09-10 with total page 334 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Statius' narrative of the fraternal strife of the Theban brothers Eteocles and Polynices has had a profound influence on Western literature and fascinated generations of scholars and readers. This book studies in detail the poem's view of power and its interaction with historical contexts. Written under Domitian and in the aftermath of the civil war of 69 CE, the Thebaid uses the veil of myth to reflect on the political reality of imperial Rome. The poem offers its contemporary readers, including the emperor, a cautionary tale of kingship and power. Rooted in a pessimistic view of human beings and human relationships, the Thebaid reflects on the harsh necessity of monarchical power as the only antidote to a world always on the verge of returning to chaos. While humans, and especially kings, are fragile and often the prey of irrational passions, the Thebaid expresses the hope that an illuminated sovereign endowed with clementia (mercy) may offer a solution to the political crisis of the Roman empire. Statius' narrative also responds to Domitian's problematic interaction with the emperor Nero, whom Domitian regarded as both a negative model and a secret source of inspiration. With The Fragility of Power, Stefano Rebeggiani offers thoughtful parallels between the actions of the Thebaid and the intellectual activities and political views formulated by the groups of Roman aristocrats who survived Nero's repression. He argues that the poem draws inspiration from an initial phase in Domitian's regime characterized by a positive relationship between the emperor and the Roman elite. Statius creates a number of innovative strategies to negotiate elements of continuity between Domitian and Nero, so as to show that, while Domitian recuperated aspects of Nero's self-presentation, he was no second Nero. Statius' poem interacts with aspects of imperial ideology under Domitian: Statius' allusions to the stories of Phaethon and Hercules engage Domitian's use of solar symbols and his association with Hercules. This book also shows that the Thebaid adapts previous texts (in particular Lucan's Bellum Civile) in order to connect the mythical subject of its narrative with the historical experience of civil war in Rome in 69 CE. By moving past recent solely aesthetic readings of the Thebaid, The Fragility of Power offers a serious and thoughtful addition to the recent scholarship in Statian studies.

Download or read book Fragile Power written by Paul L. Hokemeyer and published by Simon and Schuster. This book was released on 2019-10-08 with total page 336 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Impacted by narcissism? You’re not alone. Celebrity culture drives us to aspire to be like the few who seem to have it all. But is it possible they simultaneously have everything- and nothing? Behind the glitz, wealth and fame of the celebrities we follow, there is a common trend that impacts all of us. The popular label of “narcissism,” and “narcissist” surfaces in all of our lives and results in self-destructive behaviors common to modern life, including stress, addiction, anxiety, fear, imposter syndrome, infidelity, and depression. Having treated some of the world’s most successful, wealthiest people and celebrities, Dr. Paul Hokemeyer applies his findings to tell us why so many people get trapped in narcissistic relationship cycles and shows how we can diminish their impact on ourselves and the people we love. Dr. Paul Hokemeyer (J.D., PH.D.) is the founder of Drayson Mews, a global resource for UHNW individuals, couples and families seeking clinically effective mental and relational health services, a licensed marriage and family therapist and graduate of the Global Leaders in Healthcare program at Harvard Medical School. In his book, Fragile Power, Dr. Paul shares from the therapist’s chair how feelings of shame, insecurity, abandonment, and emotional pain are all part of the human condition and how all of us, regardless of our levels of wealth, can heal ourselves, our relationships and the world we are privileged to live in.

Download or read book The Fragile Balance of Terror written by Vipin Narang and published by Cornell University Press. This book was released on 2023-01-15 with total page 270 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In The Fragile Balance of Terror, the foremost experts on nuclear policy and strategy offer insight into an era rife with more nuclear powers. Some of these new powers suffer domestic instability, others are led by pathological personalist dictators, and many are situated in highly unstable regions of the world—a volatile mix of variables. The increasing fragility of deterrence in the twenty-first century is created by a confluence of forces: military technologies that create vulnerable arsenals, a novel information ecosystem that rapidly transmits both information and misinformation, nuclear rivalries that include three or more nuclear powers, and dictatorial decision making that encourages rash choices. The nuclear threats posed by India, Pakistan, Iran, and North Korea are thus fraught with danger. The Fragile Balance of Terror, edited by Vipin Narang and Scott D. Sagan, brings together a diverse collection of rigorous and creative scholars who analyze how the nuclear landscape is changing for the worse. Scholars, pundits, and policymakers who think that the spread of nuclear weapons can create stable forms of nuclear deterrence in the future will be forced to think again. Contributors: Giles David Arceneaux, Mark S. Bell, Christopher Clary, Peter D. Feaver, Jeffrey Lewis, Rose McDermott, Nicholas L. Miller, Vipin Narang, Ankit Panda, Scott D. Sagan, Caitlin Talmadge, Heather Williams, Amy Zegart

Download or read book The Political Invention of Fragile States written by Sonja Grimm and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2016-04-14 with total page 163 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book investigates the emergence, the dissemination and the reception of the notion of ‘state fragility’. It analyses the process of conceptualisation, examining how the ‘fragile states’ concept was framed by policy makers to describe reality in accordance with their priorities in the fields of development and security. Contributors investigate the instrumental use of the ‘state fragility’ label in the legitimisation of Western policy interventions in countries facing violence and profound poverty. They also emphasise the agency of actors ‘on the receiving end’, describing how the elites and governments in so-called ‘fragile states’ have incorporated and reinterpreted the concept to fit their own political agendas. A first set of articles examines the role played by the World Bank, the OECD, the European Union and the G7+ in the transnational diffusion of the concept, which is understood as a critical element in the new discourse on international aid and security. A second set of papers employs three case studies (Sudan, Indonesia and Uganda) to explore the processes of appropriation, reinterpretation and the strategic use of the ‘fragile state’ concept. This book was originally published as a special issue of Third World Quarterly.

Download or read book Conflict and Fragility From Power Struggles to Sustainable Peace Understanding Political Settlements written by OECD and published by OECD Publishing. This book was released on 2011-08-18 with total page 60 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This publication provides an overview of key definitions, components and concepts of political settlements, based on existing literature. It also examines the potential impact of donor activities on political settlements and highlights possible implications for donor engagement and support.

Download or read book White Fragility written by Dr. Robin DiAngelo and published by Beacon Press. This book was released on 2018-06-26 with total page 194 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The New York Times best-selling book exploring the counterproductive reactions white people have when their assumptions about race are challenged, and how these reactions maintain racial inequality. In this “vital, necessary, and beautiful book” (Michael Eric Dyson), antiracist educator Robin DiAngelo deftly illuminates the phenomenon of white fragility and “allows us to understand racism as a practice not restricted to ‘bad people’ (Claudia Rankine). Referring to the defensive moves that white people make when challenged racially, white fragility is characterized by emotions such as anger, fear, and guilt, and by behaviors including argumentation and silence. These behaviors, in turn, function to reinstate white racial equilibrium and prevent any meaningful cross-racial dialogue. In this in-depth exploration, DiAngelo examines how white fragility develops, how it protects racial inequality, and what we can do to engage more constructively.

Download or read book The Fragility of Freedom written by Joshua Mitchell and published by University of Chicago Press. This book was released on 1999-05-15 with total page 292 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In this fresh interpretation of Tocqueville's thought, Joshua Mitchell explores the dynamic interplay between religion and politics in American democracy. Focusing on Democracy in America, The Fragility of Freedom examines Tocqueville's key works and argues that his analysis of democracy is ultimately rooted in an Augustinian view of human psychology. As much a work of political philosophy as of religion, The Fragility of Freedom argues for the importance of a political theology that recognizes moderation. "An intelligent and sharply drawn portrait of a conservative Toqueville."—Anne C. Rose, Journal of American History "I recommend this book as one of a very few to approach seriously the sources of Tocqueville's intellectual and moral greatness."—Peter Augustine Lawler, Journal of Politics "Mitchell ably places Democracy in America in the long conversation of Western political and theological thought."—Wilfred M. McClay, First Things "Learned and thought-provoking."—Peter Berkowitz, New Republic